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Native american religion
Native American religions are the spiritual practices of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Traditional Native American ceremonial ways can vary widely, and are based on the differing histories and beliefs of individual tribes, clans and bands. Early European explorers describe individual Native American tribes and even small bands as each having their own religious practices. Theology may be monotheistic, polytheistic, henotheistic, animistic, or some combination thereof. Traditional beliefs are usually passed down in the forms of oral histories, stories, allegories and principles, and rely on face to face teaching in one's family and community. Such practices are deeply based in Nature and are rich with the symbolism of seasons, weather, plants, animals, earth, water, sky and fire. The principle of an all embracing, universal and omniscient Great Spirit, a connection to the Earth, diverse creation narratives and collective memories of ancient ancestors are common. Traditional worship practices are often a part of tribal gatherings with dance, rhythm, songs and trance (e.g. the sun dance). Note that since there are many different native american religions, such as the Aztec religion, the Inuit, mayan, charokee, iruquis, etc, each with their own distinctions, this page will not be able to cover them all, but will try to limit itself to the aspects more relevant to the games. An additional reason for its brevity is because many of these groups either had died out without leaving many records, or in response to being diminished keep their practices secret from outsiders and so not much is known. Note however that many of these traditions still exist and are still practiced. Most relevant to native american mythology is soul hackers, since its plot includes various native american concepts such as Manitou, and vision quests. Many of the demons based on native myths are from aztec or lakota or mayan mythology, but the ones from soul hackers are mainly algonquin. One important thing to note is that many native american gods show up as light-chaos (athough a few show up in other alignments). This is presumably related to the fact that many of these groups still lived heavily tied to nature, and so their gods were seen as closer to chaotic nature gods much of the time, who represent the natural functioning of the world. while most polytheistic pantheons were not that different, atlus notably depicts more archaic direct nature gods as chaotic, contrasting them with the ones associated with the moving away from nature of civilizations that sought to establish more order. Also, in keeping with how certain ones were associated with human sacrifice, they are interpreting many of them as more chaos leaning. General info Though Native Americans‘ spirituality, ceremonies, and rituals were often referred to as “religion,” most did not consider it in the way Christians do, where it was a distinct ritualized thing set off from different beliefs, and from normal life. However, it was labeled as such by American writers, soldiers, and settlers, who called it such, perhaps because they didn’t know how to otherwise describe the rituals and ceremonies. The Native Americans, themselves, believed that their rituals and practices formed an integral and seamless part of their very being. Their beliefs were heavily influenced by their methods of acquiring food, – from hunting to agriculture. They also embraced ceremonies and rituals that provided power to conquer the difficulties of life, as wells as events and milestones, such as puberty, marriage, and death. Over the years, practices and ceremonies changed with tribes‘ needs. These beliefs tended to be very animistic, seeing the world itself as filled with spiritual essence, and involved a strong association and identification with the world, rather than being seen as distinct from it. From tribe to tribe, these rituals exhibited a great deal of diversity, largely due to the relative isolation of various cultures that were spread out across the the North American continent for thousands of years. However, most all “religions” were closely connected to the land and the supernatural, addressing an ever present invisible universal force. In the Plains, as well as in some other parts of the continent, the ideal is for all males to establish some kind of direct relation with a divine element or power. The idea is that if one follows the proper formula, the power will appear in some human or animal form and will form a compact with the young man for his good fortune during life. Strange journey's chaos, and more specifically its new chaos ending in the remake call a bit to mind the lifestyle of living more connected to nature, and resetting the world so that humanity can have a chance to do so more closely. Certain native americans in modern day have written about how modern society is divorced from it, and so their way of live is irrevocably altered, and they don't have the ability to go back, since it is no longer possible with the way the world has been transformed. While SJs original chaos added a more violent tone to this, which might be associated more with the more violent groups, its new chaos ending tones this down slightly focusing more on natural living, although it still has demons and is presented as a world of strength. Note that close communion with the spirits is also a native thing. Practices The Sun Dance is a ceremony practiced by some Indigenous people of United States of America and Canada, primarily those of the Plains cultures. It usually involves the community gathering together to pray for healing. Individuals there will make personal sacrifices on behalf of the community in the hope for benefits from the spirits. Several features are common to the ceremonies held by sun dance cultures. These include dances and songs passed down through many generations, the use of a traditional drum, a sacred fire, praying with a ceremonial pipe, fasting from food and water before participating in the dance, and, in some cases, the ceremonial piercing of skin and a trial of physical endurance. Certain plants are picked and prepared for use during the ceremony. Typically, the sun dance is a grueling ordeal for the dancers, a physical and spiritual test that they offer in sacrifice for their people. Often they may involve strenuous or painful aspects. In Canada, the Plains Cree call this ceremony the Thirst Dance; the Saulteaux (Plains Ojibwe) call it the Rain Dance; and the Blackfoot (Siksika, Kainai, and Piikani) call it the Medicine Dance. It is also practiced by the Canadian Dakota and Nakoda, and the Dene. In addition to this, there are many other rituals held by them of various kinds. But since each group will have heavily differing rituals, little can be made in the form of a sweeping statement. Aquiring of a manito. Not satisfied with the attempt to avoid the ill will of the powers, the people also try to make them subservient to their own needs. This end might be attained in a variety of ways. Perhaps one of the most characteristic methods of gaining control over supernatural powers was the acquisition of one of them as a personal protector. Generally, this process is called the acquiring of a manito; and the most common method of acquiring it is for the young man, during the period of adolescence, to purify himself by fasting, bathing, and vomiting, until his body is perfectly clean and acceptable to the supernatural beings. Other practices to gain the favor of spirits are prayer, charms, or sacrifices. Note the potential similarities here to recruiting and using demons. A ceremonial pipe is a particular type of smoking pipe, used by a number of Native American cultures in their sacred ceremonies. Traditionally they are used to offer prayers in a religious ceremony, to make a ceremonial commitment, or to seal a covenant or treaty. The pipe ceremony may be a component of a larger ceremony, or held as a sacred ceremony in and of itself. Indigenous peoples of the Americas who use ceremonial pipes have names for them in each culture's indigenous language. Not all cultures have pipe traditions, and there is no single word for all ceremonial pipes across the hundreds of diverse Native cultures. War bonnets (also called warbonnets or headdresses) are feathered headgear traditionally worn by male leaders of the American Plains Indians Nations who have earned a place of great respect in their tribe. Originally they were sometimes worn into battle, but they are now primarily used for ceremonial occasions. They are seen as items of great spiritual and political importance, only to be worn by those who have earned the right and honour through formal recognition by their people. Shaman. Native American and First Nations cultures have diverse religious beliefs and there was never one universal Native American religion or spiritual system. Although many Native American cultures have traditional healers, ritualists, singers, mystics, lore-keepers and Medicine people, none of them ever used, or use, the term "shaman" to describe these religious leaders. Rather, like other indigenous cultures the world over, their spiritual functionaries are described by words in their own languages, and in many cases are not taught to outsiders. The term shaman or priest being applied to them is an anthropological category seen from the outside. Plastic shaman, or plastic medicine people, is a pejorative colloquialism applied to individuals who are attempting to pass themselves off as shamans, holy people, or other traditional spiritual leaders, but who have no genuine connection to the traditions or cultures they claim to represent. In some cases, the "plastic shaman" may have some genuine cultural connection, but is seen to be exploiting that knowledge for ego, power, or money. It is a pejorative used against various people who try appropriating native religious practices and passing themselves off as part of them without fully understanding them. A''' '''medicine man or medicine woman is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of indigenous people of the Americas. Individual cultures have their own names, in their respective Indigenous languages, for the spiritual healers and ceremonial leaders in their particular cultures. In the ceremonial context of Indigenous North American communities, "medicine" usually refers to spiritual healing. Medicine men/women should not be confused with those who employ Native American ethnobotany, a practice that is very common in a large number of Native American and First Nations households Native Americans tend to be quite reluctant to discuss issues about medicine or medicine people with non-Indians. In some cultures, the people will not even discuss these matters with Indians from other tribes. In most tribes, medicine elders are prohibited from advertising or introducing themselves as such. As Nuttall writes, "An inquiry to a Native person about religious beliefs or ceremonies is often viewed with suspicion." One example of this is the Apache medicine cord or Izze-kloth whose purpose and use by Apache medicine elders was a mystery to nineteenth century ethnologists because "the Apache look upon these cords as so sacred that strangers are not allowed to see them, much less handle them or talk about them." A vision quest is a rite of passage in some Native American cultures. It is usually only undertaken by young males entering adulthood. Individual Indigenous cultures have their own names for their rites of passage. "Vision quest" is an English umbrella term, and may not always be accurate or used by the cultures in question. Among Native American cultures who have this type of rite, it usually consists of a series of ceremonies led by Elders and supported by the young man's community. The process includes a complete fast for four days and nights, alone at a sacred site in nature which is chosen by the Elders for this purpose. Some communities have used the same sites for many generations. During this time, the young person prays and cries out to the spirits that they may have a vision, one that will help them find their purpose in life, their role in community, and how they may best serve the People. Dreams or visions may involve natural symbolism - such as animals or forces of nature - that require interpretation by Elders. After their passage into adulthood, and guided by this experience, the young person may then become an apprentice or student of an adult who has mastered this role. Vision Quests are a story element in Soul Hackers. At the behest of Kinap, the protagonist must relive the final moments of three key figures in the back story. During these sequences, the player is in control of a different summoner, with a pre-configured party. At terminals, Kinap will allow you to save and heal at no magnetite cost. If the Vision Quest character is killed, then the protagonist dies as well, resulting in a game over. Afterlife The Lakota, among many others believe that everything has a spirit; including trees, rocks, rivers, and almost every natural being. This therefore leads to the belief in the existence of an afterlife. Native American beliefs about the afterlife vary greatly from tribe to tribe. In the traditions of many Native American tribes, the souls of the dead pass into a spirit world, where they can occasionally still communicate with the living through dreams or the intercession of medicine people. In other tribes there is a more structured land of the dead, often presided over by a god of death or other supernatural caretaker. In some tribes there is no Native American afterlife per se-- dead people are believed to become stars or part of the earth unless they are disturbed and turned into ghosts by grave robbing or other unnatural acts. And in some tribes there is no afterworld at all because the spirits of the dead are reincarnated as new infants within their family or clan. As far as megaten goes, this ambiguity is reflected in its own outcomes, since reincarnations can occur into new humans, or various spiritual beings. Note that in megaten also, there was a time explicitly saying that everything has soul or spirit. So it captures this animist tone. Beings The Great Spirit, called Wakan Tanka among the Sioux, and Gitche Manitou in Algonquian, is a conception of universal spiritual force, or supreme being, prevalent among some Native Americans and First Nation cultures. According to Lakota activist Russell Means, a better translation of Wakan Tanka is the Great Mystery. The Great Spirit was sometimes imagined as an “anthropomorphic celestial deity who personally ruled the world and intervened regularly with human affairs” (Cave, 3). He is the God of creation, history and eternity. There are many different prophets of the Great Spirit. Each prophet aims at restoration and preservation of a way of Native American life that is diminishing. The Great Spirit is used to guide individuals and their communities with the lessons through the prophets. The Great Spirit is expressed through multiple Native American Tribes which is why each story regarding the Great Spirit is different- they are products of various cultures. Some prophets call for war, while others call for peace. Certain prophets call for acculturation between the Native Americans and whites, while others call for complete segregation. The Great Spirit is portrayed in Native American history as a powerful force that guides the people in wisdom and survival. In the various tribes, The Great Spirit might be called Earthgrasper, Earthmaker, Gisha Munetoa, Gitchi Manido, The Great Spirit is also referred to as the “Creator”. Manitou is the spiritual and fundamental life force among Algonquian groups in the Native American mythology, and their interpretation of the great spirit. It is omnipresent and manifests everywhere: organisms, the environment, events, etc. Aashaa monetoo means "good spirit", while otshee monetoo means "bad spirit". The Great Spirit, Aasha Monetoo, gave the land, when the world was created, to the indigenous peoples (in particular, the Shawnee). In some Algonquian traditions, the term Gitche Manitou is used to refer to a "great spirit" or supreme being. The term was similarly adopted by some Anishnaabe Christian groups, such as the Ojibwe, to refer to the monotheistic God of Abrahamic tradition by extension, often due to missionary syncretism. However, the term has analogues dating back before European contact, and the word uses of gitche and manitou would have been precontact. Manitou is a major character in Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers. In-game Manitou was originally a great spirit of the land found in North America, but Kinap utilized Manitou as a weapon in ancient times. Contact with mankind and their souls threatened to turn the peaceful mindless force into an entity of destruction. Kinap then sealed Manitou away and created Nemissa from Manitou to bring death to it should it ever be awakened and become a force of destruction. The Phantom Society and Kadokura find the entity, and make their own plans to give it the souls of mankind for their own agendas. Manitou is also capable of feeding on the souls of demons, as shown by the slain Godly soul that it gains power from. Kadokura's original goal is unknown, as he simply seeks to feed the souls of humans to Manitou and was insane. Manitou was also key in the Phantom Society's goal of harvesting souls via the Krypto Chip, as he is the parent body in the soul accumulation process. The Manitou Net was installed the Nikamimon Ruins, after Naomi cleared out one of the troublesome deities still slumbering down there during the early years of the project. The slain god's power would later be absorbed by Manitou. He is the last boss, fought in Powerstone Hall when Kadokura fuses with him. Initially appearance as a giant stone object surrounded by glowing blue light, it transforms Kadokura and creates a golden humanoid form to fight. After beating him, he cries out in sadness. Only Nemissa understands him, saying that he wants to die. She says she understands her reason to exist, and tells the protagonist that it's been fun. With this, she leaves Hitomi's body, returning to Manitou. Manitou falls silent, then begins to disappear from the human world. it is eventually revealed that Nemissa was made from a fragment of Manitou by Kinap, who sealed Manitou away. Nemissa was made as a failsafe in the event it awoke, to carry the "song of death" needed to destroy it. Kinap. In Algonquian folklore, a Kinap, also spelled Kenap or Ginap, is a mortal human gifted with uncanny physical strength and other powers. In many legends, a Kinap's power manifests as a child, and he either becomes a child-hero or dies young by using too much of his strength too early. In other legends, an adult Kinap features as a mortal hero slaying a terrible monster or leading the other Micmac men into battle. In the first devil summoner, Kinap first appears as a user on "DDS-NET", a messageboard, at the beginning of the game. He informs the hero about the city he has just moved to. After finding himself in Kyouji's body, the protagonist can contact Kinap again to receive hints as to where to go next. When the Museum is closed due to a demon infestation, his assistance is needed to disable the security system. In soul hackers, Kinap speaks to the protagonist near the beginning of the game to warn him of the authorities coming. Appears throughout the game in the form of an animal, first appearing as a coyote that saves the protagonist from a light unleashed by a demon that would have devoured his soul. He then has him undertake "Vision Quests", which lets one see a person's last moments in order to protect the city from the force that wants to consume all the souls in it. He appears in the Vision Quests themselves as a heal and save spot. He appears again after Nemissa gets her leather outfit in the form of a rabbit. Requesting that the Protagonist come to the Theater when he is ready for the second Vision Quest. After it ends, he tells the Protagonist to go to the Airport where the second Vision Quest took place at. After saving the protagonist from Kadokura's wrath, it is revealed that Kinap was once a shaman who led an Algonquian-speaking tribe. He came across Manitou, and tamed him. Kinap proceeded to use him in battles, and became victorious in war. Manitou used his slain foes as sacrifices, growing more stronger with each soul. However, Kinap feared that Manitou would become too powerful, and that he would lose control, so he decided to seal Manitou away. He also created Nemissa out of a fragment of Manitou. She was made so that if Manitou was ever unsealed, she would be there to stop him. But, in order for her to do that, Nemissa would need understand humans. So Kinap sealed her as well, and abandoned his mortal form to keep watch over Manitou and Nemissa. Moowis originates from an Algonquin myth about a man who was spurned by the woman he loved. To pay the woman back for her actions he gave life to a snowman who became a beautiful warrior named Moowis; who he created by using forsaken scraps, the earth, and the last of winters snow to make his body. A song was sung by the man to the Snowman to give it life. The woman would fall in love with Moowis and he would take her as his bride. Promising to share everything once they traveled to his home up north, the woman and Moowis traveled during the night at a fast pace bringing great harm to the woman's feet. On the last day with no shade or place to hide from the sun he would melt before her eyes. She then felt the pain of loss as he become water, with only his headdress and clothes left behind. In soul hackers, Moowis first appears when Carol J botches his summoning of the Great Angel Kokabel, where he possess the man's body and partially transforms it to fight the protagonist. After his defeat he leaves Carol's still living body behind and attempts to possess Hitomi, only to fail thanks to Nemissa causing him to flee. He appears in his second form after the Protagonist talks with his family in the aftermath of saving Tomoko. Calling Nemissa a threat, he attempts to kill her with his body of steel. Surprised by how stronger she is after his defeat, he proclaims again that she is a threat to him and his master before retreating, leaving a piece of his metal body behind that makes it possible for the Spookies to track him down. He believes Nemissa is planning to kill him and his master after the Spookies chase him down to the Auto Plant to get answers. Realizing she knows nothing, he attempts to kill her with his newest body. After his defeat he retreats into Paradigm X and into the VR Tour. He realizes she has truly lost her memories, and declares even with his death the second and the third will defeat her in his place, allowing Manitou to succeed. He finally dies after wasting all the power he used to enter the virtual reality. Malsumis was a highly malevolent god or spirit in the mythology of the Abenaki, an Algonquian people of northeastern North America. After the creator god Tabaldak created humans, the dust from the creation of man created Glubsak and his twin brother, Malsumis. Talbadak gave Glubsak the power to create a good world or to do good, while Malsumis used his power for evil, like putting thorns on plants or giving insects their sting. He still pursues evil to this day. In soul hackers, Malsum is a fragment of Manitou that has possessed the Algon Main Building servers. If the player chose to cooperate with Finnegan, he reveals that Malsum sealed away the magic of his demons as he dies. He attacks the protagonist as Nemissa is considered a threat. It is listed as cyber race due to integrating with the computers. Winpe is a character in the legends of the Mi'kmaq, an Algonquian people of northeastern North America. He is a giant with magical powers who is an adversary of the culture hero Glooskap, having captured the hero's grandmother Nukumi and adopted brother Abistanooj. In some versions of the story, he is an evil, brutish villain who is killed by Glooskap, while in others, he is boisterous but honorable and is defeated by Glooskap in a series of tests of magical power. In one version of the Winpe legend, he was even the originator of the game of lacrosse, which Glooskap took from him and shared with the people. In soul hackers, Winpe appears as a spirit in the control room of Amami City's airport in Judah's Vision Quest. He calls out and asks who is calling for Manitou and broke the spell, with Judah noticing that his body is incomplete. Judah defeats his body only to learn that he survived in the computer and he sacrifices himself to destroy the control room, which had been infected by Manitou Net and Winpe, but Winpe survives. Shortly after the protagonist arrives to the control room to confront the spirit, Finnegan appears and destroys Winpe by himself. Quetzalcoatl is an Aztec sky and creator god. The name is a combination of quetzal, a brightly colored Mesoamerican bird, and coatl, meaning serpent. The name was also taken on by various ancient leaders. Due to their cyclical view of time and the tendency of leaders to revise histories to support their rule, many events and attributes attributed to Quetzalcoatl are exceedingly difficult to separate from the political leaders that took this name on themselves. Quetzalcoatl is often referred to as The Feathered Serpent, connected to the planet Venus and was also the patron god of the Aztec priesthood, of learning and knowledge. Today Quetzalcoatl is arguably the best known Aztec deity, and is often thought to have been the principal Aztec god. However, Quetzalcoatl is one of several important gods in the Aztec pantheon along with the gods Tlaloc, Tezcatlipoca and Huitzilopochtli. Although he often shows up as a chaos demon, his most notable appearance is in iva. Quetzalcoatl is the demon who leads the raid on the underground shelter of Kinshicho. During the attack, Nanashi and company arrive to the Hunter Association to find Asahi's father shielding her from an attack by Quetzalcoatl. Upon showing himself, Quetzalcoatl states that he is collecting human souls for the Divine Powers in order to use them to defeat YHVH, after which he would be restored to his rightful throne as sun god. Upon his defeat, he questions how he could fall to the kindle meant to burn in his name as he crumbles away. Note that he is referencing human sacrifice. Tonatiuh. Also known as Ollin Tonatiuh (lit. "Movement of the sun"), he is a sun god of Aztec lore. They believed him to be the leader of the heaven Tollan. He was known as the fifth sun as the Aztecs believed that he was the sun that took over when the fourth sun was expelled from the sky. In the Aztec calendar, Tonatiuh is the lord of the thirteen days from 1 Death to 13 Flint. He was believed to require 20,000 sacrifices a day in order to move across the sky but it is believed that this was exaggerated by either the Aztecs or their enemies. He shows up in game as a light chaos demon. Note that many native american gods tend to do so, due to the association with raw nature, and the lifestyle implied by it. Tlazolteotl. In Aztec mythology, Tlazolteotl is a goddess of purification, steam baths, midwives, filth and a patroness of adulterers. In Nahuatl, the word tlazolli can refer to vice and diseases. Thus, Tlazolteotl was a goddess of filth (sin), vice and sexual misdeeds. However, she was a purification goddess as well, who forgave the sins and disease of those caused by misdeeds, particurlarly sexual misdeeds. Her dual nature is seen in her epithets; Tlaelquani ('she who eats filth sin') and Tlazolmiquiztli ('the death caused by lust') and Ixcuina or Ixcuinan ('she of two faces'). Under the designation of Ixcuinan she was thought to be plural in number and four sisters of different ages by the names; Tiacapan (the first born), Teicu (the younger sister), Tlaco (the middle sister) and Xocotzin (the youngest sister). She generally shows up listed as as a light-law goddess. However, In SMTIV, Tlazolteotl is faced in the Challenge Quest The Only Food Source, where the client wishes Flynn to retrieve a stash of corn she guards, yet refuses to eat, instead targeting humans as her food. She is found in Blasted Tokyo's Ikebukuro Underground Shelter where she has placed a Domain on the bottom floor. She asks what business Flynn has with her and confirms the back room is filled with corn. She doesn't allow him to pass as giving it to humans is forbidden, stating he'll have to go through her, accepting the challenge when confronted. She is indifferent to her defeat, saying she is tired of eating corpses and unlocks the door to the corn before disappearing. Her purpose is revealed by a Dis to be eating corpses, cleaning impurities and cleansing the soul on the orders of the gods who sought man's annihilation. As a goddess of harvest before she became a goddess of filth and purification, she wanted to return the corn the humans worked hard to grow, so she had kept it to ensure that humans would eventually reclaim it at her defeat, defying the very purpose she had been given to annihilate them. And as such, despite being labeled a law godess, seems to be neutral or chaos in this instance, since this was in blasted tokyo where her task would have been to indirectly help with pluto's annihilation of humans. In strange journey she does however show up with the law side. Tlaloc (In nahuatl, Nectar of the Earth) is an important deity in Aztec lore, governing over rain, fertility and water. He however, was feared for his abilities to send hail, thunder and lightning, according to Aztec lore, those who died due to lightning and water-related accidents were sent to Tlaloc's domain, Tlalocan, in the afterlife. He is depicted as a light neutral being. Despite being listed as light neutral in-game, he is known as a wrathful deity at times. He is responsible for both floods and droughts. Tlaloc is commonly depicted as a goggle-eyed blue being with jaguar fangs. Often he is presented wearing a net of clouds, a crown of heron feather and foam sandals. He carries rattles to make thunder. Tlaloc was first married to the goddess Xochiquetzal, but then Tezcatlipoca kidnapped her. He later married Chalchihuitlicue. With Chalchihuitlicue he became the father of Tecciztecatl. Tlaloc has an older sister named Huixtocihuatl. Mayahuel was part of a complex of interrelated maternal and fertility goddesses in Aztec mythology. She is connected with notions of reproducing and nourishment. After her death at the hand of her grandmother Tzitzimitl, Quetzalcoatl buried her remains, from which the maguey plant (Agave americana) was sprouted. Quetzalcoatl used the sap from the plant to make Pulque, a low alcohol beverage to relieve his sadness over his deceased loved one. She shows up listed as light-law and is seen alongside the other gods working with the law side in strange journey. Whether there was meant to be a theme of various native american godesses working with law deliberately in sj or not is ambiguous, but one reason may be because the megami race was not moved to neutral when the deity race was. Ometeotl is A dual-gendered Aztec god. Ometeotl is made up of the male aspect, Ometecuhtli, and the female aspect, Omecihuatl. It is the supreme being, creator of the gods and the god of fire. He's also known as Tonacatecuhtli and Tonacacihuatl. He shows up as a light neutral god in various games. many scholars (most notably Miguel León-Portilla) interpret the rare name "ōmeteōtl" as "Dual God" or "Lord of the Duality." León-Portilla further argues that Ometeotl was the supreme creator deity of the Aztecs, and that the Aztecs envisioned this deity as a mystical entity with a dual nature akin to the European concept of the trinity.4 He argues that the Aztecs saw Ometeotl as a transcendental deity and that this accounts for the scarcity of documentary references to it and the absence of evidence of an actual cult to Ometeotl among the Aztecs. Xiuhtecuhtli '''Also known as Ixcozauhqui and Cuezaltzin, is a deity from Aztec lore. Believed to be the personification of light in the darkness, food during famine, life after death and warmth in the cold, he is the Lord of Turquoise, time and the year, creator of all life and was both mother and father of the gods. Married to Chalchiuhtlicue, Xiuthecuhtli is said to have a female counterpart named Chantico. He is sometimes considered to be the same as Huehueteotl and Ometeotl. The nagual(spirit form) that represents him is the fire serpent known as Xiuhcoatl. Although no explanation is given, in-game he is depicted as neutral-law race, being listed as a yoma. He does not have any major plot roles in the games, and as can be guessed from his appearance is weak to ice related skills in battle, while nulling fire. '''Tlaltecuhtli, is a pre-Columbian Mesoamerican deity figure, identified from sculpture and iconography dating to the Late Postclassic period of Mesoamerican chronology (ca. 1200–1519), primarily among the Mexica (Aztec) and other Nahuatl-speaking cultures. Tlaltecuhtli is also known from several post-conquest manuscripts that surveyed Mexica mythology and belief systems, such as the Histtoyre du méchique compiled in the mid-16th century. In one of the Mexica creation accounts, Tlaltecuhtli is described as a sea monster who dwelled in the ocean after the fourth Great Flood, an embodiment of the raging chaos before creation. Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca, in the form of serpents, tore her in half, throwing half upwards to create the sky and stars and leaving the other half to become the land of the earth. She remained alive, however, and demanded human blood. Although the deity's name is a masculine form in the Nahuatl language, most representations of Tlaltecuhtli exhibit distinctly female characteristics, and the figure is often posed in the characteristic position of a woman giving birth. She is sometimes associated with Cihuacoatl, Tonantzin and Tonatiuh. Her only notable appearance is in apocalypse, where she is is a boss in the Challenge Quest Take Out A Pesky Demon, where she's blocking off Club Milton and both trapping a human there and keeping him from smuggling stuff out. Her only bit of dialogue is revealing her desire to fix her body by consuming Reds before the battle, dying in silence. She is listed as a neutral neutral being. Tzitzimitl, In Aztec mythology, a tzitzimitl is a deity associated with stars. They were depicted as skeletal female figures wearing skirts often with skull and crossbone designs. The Tzitzimimeh were associated with the stars and especially the stars that can be seen around the sun during a solar eclipse. This was interpreted as the Tzitzimimeh attacking the sun. The Tzitzimimeh had a double role in Aztec religion: they were protectresses of the feminine and progenitresses of mankind. But they were also powerful and dangerous, especially in periods of cosmic instability. She tends to show up as a dark chaos tyrant race. Although does not have any notable plot roles. Tezcatlipoca was a central deity in Aztec religion and one of the four sons of Ometeotl. He was associated with a wide range of subjects including the night sky, the night winds, hurricanes, the north, the earth, obsidian, enmity, discord, jaguars, sorcery, beauty, war and strife. His name in Nahuatl means "Smoking Mirror." In game he shows up as dark law vile race. Ocelots are a species of cat native to Central and South America. The Aztecs and Native Americans revered the ocelot. Its name comes from the Aztec word tlalocelot, which means "tiger of the field". Tezcatlipoca was known to take the form of an ocelot. They represent the sun and day. Tecciztecatl was the Aztec god of the moon who represented the man in the moon. He could have once been a sun god, but he feared the sun's fire. Instead Nanahuatzin became the sun god and Tecciztecatl, in the form of a rabbit, was thrown into the moon. He only shows up in the demikids games. The baykok (or pau'guk, paguk, baguck; bakaak in the Ojibwe language and pakàk in the Algonquin language) is a malevolent spirit from the folklore of the Ojibway nation. The Baykok is a character from the Anishinaabe aadizookaan, which is said to fly though the forests of the Great Lakes region. The cries of Baykok are also described as being shrill. Described as "Death" in The Song of Hiawatha, it is said to appear as an extremely emaciated skeletal like figure, with thin translucent skin and glowing red points for eyes. The Baykok only preys upon warriors, but does so ruthlessly, using invisible arrows or by beating its prey to death with a club. The Baykok, after paralyzing or killing its prey, then devours the liver of its victim. It shows up in SMTI as a chaos-aligned demon. Dzelarhons. Also known as Djilaqons, this frog princess is the ancestress of the Eagle clan, she lives in the water. Because some fisherman have insulted her, she started a fire that burnt their village down. After the fire, she emerged from the water to sing a mourning song and discovers the sole woman survivor, Yelukxinang. Dzelarhons appoints Yelukxinang to be the mother of the Eagle clan. Dzelarhons is also a figure in the stories of the Haida tribes' migration across the Aleutian Islands. She may also be portrayed as the Copper Woman, Volcano Woman, or Frog Woman. She arrived from the sea with six canoe-loads of people and married the bear god Kaiti. She shows up as a light-chaos being. Haokah. In Lakota mythology, Haokah is a hunting god and a spirit of thunder and lightning who uses the wind as sticks to beat the drums of thunder. His emotions are portrayed opposite to those of humans; he shivers when he is hot and sweats in the cold, and he cries when he is happy and laughs when he is sad. Haokah is the son of the sky god manitou, who goes around fighting against evil and dangerous beings who would effect humanity. In-game it is neutral neutral race, since in SMTII the yoma race was moved to neutral. He is associated with storms, but his wife follows him to clear them up. Ictinike. I'''n Lakota mythology, Ictinike (also known as '''Ikto, Iktomi, Inktomi, Unktome, and Unktomi due to language differences) is a spider trickster spirit, inventor of lies and culture hero. He is said to have taught the Native Americans tribes of the plains the art and customs of war, and is associated with war, treachery and deceit. According to the Lakota, Iktomi is the son of Inyan, the Rock, a creator god similar in form to other male creator gods. Iktomi has a younger brother, Iya, who is a destructive and powerful spirit. One story of Iktomi goes that in the ancient days, Iktomi was Ksa, or wisdom, but he was stripped of this title and became Iktomi because of his troublemaking ways. The Oglala Indians of south Dakota presents Iktomi as the second manifestation, or degeneration, of Ksa, which hatched from the Cosmic Egg being laid by Wak-Inyan, the primordial thunderstorm. Thunderbird. The Thunderbird is a legendary creature found in Native American folklore. It's considered a "supernatural" bird of power and strength. It is especially important, and richly depicted, in the art, songs and oral histories of many Pacific Northwest Coast cultures, and is found in various forms among the peoples of the American Southwest and Great Plains. Thunderbirds were major components of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex of American prehistory. The Thunderbird's name comes from the common belief that the beating of its enormous wings causes thunder and stirs the wind. It is one of the few native american beings depicted as light-law, presumably due to it being a bird and most birds are listed as law. Wendigo is A cannibal spirit of Algonquian myth. Highly associated with coldness and famine, and are also embodiments of gluttony, greed, excess, etc. Some say that those overcome with greed turn into a Wendigo. All beliefs about the Wendigo agreed that humans could turn into a Wendigo if they become cannibals or if they are possessed by a Wendigo. It was once described as "gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave." They are large and grow even more with each human they eat. The wendigo shows up as a boss a few times early on in games, such as in SMTIV when navarre summons one at you, or in devil survivor where you are told that one is going to kill you. In some games, jack frost can transform into a wendigo. It is usually dark law or dark neutral race. Sedna is the Inuit goddess of the sea and the creatures that inhabit it. She was greatly feared but sought out by Shamans for the release of the seals for hunting. She is seen by the Inuit as the mistress of life and death because she can provide for them (seals, fish, other sea animals), but can also punish them in ways that may cause death (storms, sickness, starvation). Sedna's story begins as a beautiful princess who declines all suitors, except for a fulmar (a sea bird), who promises to take her away to his "comfortable and luxurious" palace, and she impulsively elopes with the fulmar. It turns out the "palace" was a filthy, smelly nest, and her new husband treated her like a slave. She begged her father to bring her back home and he did. Yet as they were heading back, a flock of fulmars were rocking the boat they were in. Fearing for his life, the father threw Sedna off the boat, and cut off her fingers and hands when she tried to climb back on. As she sank to the seabed, her mutilated appendages grew into fish, seals, whales, and all of the other sea mammals. She descended and eventually ruled over Adlivum, the land of the dead, and as the queen, she is responsible for the flow of food, and to make sure the flow doesn't stop, Inuit shamans descend down to Adlivum to soothe her pain. In-game she is light chaos. Shiwanna are Rain-bringing cloud spirits of Pueblo lore, they were believed to have traveled on rainbows. Associated with the dead, they lived in many places. Their name means "cloud people." It is said that humans become cloud people when they die. They are also said to live in mountains below lakes and oceans. They are listed as law race, presumably in association withtheir relation to clouds. They eat only the corn pollen that people throw at them. When relatives of people die and rain follows, they believe that their relative is already a shiwanna, and is bringing them the rain in order to help them. They are seen as helpful spirits that still relate to those they leave behind, and who can also be very dangerous if the one who becomes one is an evil person. Gucumatz was represented as the feathered serpent god of the Popol Vuh who created humanity along with the aid of the god, Huracan. Gucumatz is also considered the equivalent of the Aztec god, Quetzalcoatl, among the Quiché Maya, and more directly related to Kukulkan of the Yucatec-Maya tradition. In the beginning of the Popol Vuh, Gukumatz is depicted as a large serpent with beautiful blue-green feathers, afloat in the primordial sea. Nothing yet exists, only pools of water kept at rest under the sky. Soon, the god Huracan appeared before the Sovereign Plumed Serpent to discuss the creation of man. It is decided between the two that the water should be removed and replaced by land. They both spoke the word "Earth" until from the mist of the waters the mountains rose. Gukumatz was pleased with their collaborative creation of the earth. The gods created animals such as the deer and the bird, and commanded that their creations should give them praise by speaking their names and keeping their days. But the animals could not speak the words of their gods and simply squawked and chattered. Gukumatz soon realized that their first attempt at the creation of beings was a failure as they could not give them praise. Their animals were ordered to live in the wild and to let their flesh be eaten by the ones who will keep the days of the gods and show them praise. They first formed men of mud, but in this form man could neither move nor speak and quickly dissolved into nothingness. Later, they created men of sculpted wood, which Huracan destroyed as the wooden manikins were imperfect, emotionless and showed no praise to the gods. The survivors were then transformed into monkeys, and sentenced to live in the wild. The gods were finally successful in their creation by constructing men out of maize. Here the first men were formed: B'alam Agab, B'alam Quitzé, Iqi B'alam, Mahucatah. Their sight was far and they understood all. In-game it shows up as light chaos. Ixtab is the goddess of suicide, especially suicide by hanging, in Yucatec Mayan society. She is also, perhaps aptly, called the Rope Woman. In SMTIV, Ixtab had taken over Shibuya's underground shelter in Blasted Tokyo years ago, killing everyone there so they can live as ghosts in what she considers to be paradise. She has created a Domain on the bottom floor and is found at the end of it. To her the most unfortunate things about humans is their birth, so she shall lead them to paradise whether it be willingly or not, where they will be free of God's control. Ixtab then summons the Bound Horde, consisting entirely of Garrote demons, to start the battle and appears after their defeat. Upon defeat, she is shocked that they reject their salvation as her body starts to crumble, as she is unable to comprehend why they would want to live in the wasteland of pain and suffering when they can live in the paradise of death. Her final words is that they will come to regret it. The souls she killed linger after her death, but are slowly fading away. Camazotz. In Mayan mythology, Camazotz was a bat god. He was the central god of an ancient Mayan cult which may have owed its existence to giant vampire bats which are now extinct. His most notable appearance in-game is as what bat transforms into in digital devil saga. In the Popol Vuh, Camazotz are the bat-like monsters encountered by the Maya Hero Twins Hunahpu and Xbalanque during their trials in the underworld of Xibalba. The twins had to spend the night in the House of Bats where they squeeze themselves into their own blowguns in order to defend themselves from the circling bats. Hunahpu stuck his head out of his blowgun to see if the sun had risen and Camazotz immediately snatched off his head and carried it to the ballcourt to be hung up as the ball to be used by the gods in their next ballgame. The Bolontiku are a group of nine Mayan deities, the Nine Lords of the Night who from the Underworld of Xibalba ruled over every ninth night forming a calendrical cycle. They were defeated by Mayan Hero Twins. In persona 2, The Bolontiku appear deep in Xibalba and are fought before the party reaches the Fuhrer at its heart. Each of them have similar weaknesses to of the party's Ultimate Personas, as well as the dark version of their exclusive skills. The reason why the Bolontiku are portrayed as aliens in Innocent Sin is due to an extraterrestrial origin interpretation on their myth as the lords of the Mayan underworld, with the entrance to Xibalba being a Dark River visible in the Milky Way, something that could be interpreted as having to cross the Milky Way to reach them. In the game, due to the theories described in the In Lak'ech book becoming reality through the rumors, Xibalba appears as a space ship and the Bolontiku as aliens. They are seen doing the vulcan salute from star trek. Cabracan '''is A Mayan god of mountains and earthquakes. He was a son of Vucub Caquix and Chimalmat. In-game he is dark neutral wilder race. His most notable aspect is the fact that he has an actual mayan temple on his back. '''Chon-chon are mythical creatures of the Mapuche people, who lived in southern Chile and southwestern Argentina. Evil shamans called "kalkus" know the secret of a magical ungent which, if applied to their necks, makes their heads separate from their bodies and fly around. The creature created from this practice is said to bring curses and ill omens. They show up in game usually as dark law. Inti. According to Inca mythology, Inti is the sun god, as well as the patron deity of the Inca Empire. His exact origin is unknown but the most common story states that he is the son of Viracocha, the god of civilization. He shows up as deity race in-game. Dzolob was the name of the creatures that inhabitated the second world created by Hunab Ku in Mayan mythology. Because they were vile and malicious, Hunab Ku had to eradicate them and created the third world in which the Mayans lived. It shows up as haunt race in devil summoner. Pachacamac was considered the creator god by the people who lived in Peru before the Inca conquest. He was taken into the Inca pantheon, but somewhat reluctantly, being seen mainly as an ineffective rival of Virachocha. He shows up in-game as a dark law demon. His myths are sparse and confused: some accounts, for example, identify him as Manco Capac's cowardly brother Ayca, while others say that he, Manco Capac and Viracocha were the sole three sons of Inti the sun god. Another story says that he made the first man and the first woman, but forgot to give them food — and when the man died and the woman prayed over Pachacamac's head to his father Inti to make her the mother of all the peoples of earth, Pachacamac was furious. One by one, as the children were born, he tried to kill them — only to be beaten and to be thrown into the sea by her hero-son Wichama, after which he gave up the struggle and contented himself by becoming the supreme god of fish. In iva, Pachacamac is seen attacking a resident during a raid on Shinjuku's underground district by the Divine Powers after the activation of the Tokugawa Mandala. He states that if the humans will not surrender their souls willingly, they'll be taken forcibly. Thinking his job will be easy due to most humans not being able to summon their demons, he is surprised by his defeat at the hands of Nanashi and company. Itzamna is the chief deity in the Mayan pantheon, being the lord of medicine and was worshipped as the moon deity and the bringer of the civilization. His appearance was a toothless old man with sunken cheeks and a very prominent nose. Despite his appearance, he was a very powerful and benevolent deity. In-game he shows up as a flaming lizard.